Greater New Orleans

Adjunct instructors at Delgado Community College will receive their first checks on Oct. 3, two weeks later than previous years, in order to meet the new standards required by the Affordable Care Act.
(Photo courtesy of Delgado Community College)

Part-time adjunct instructors at Delgado Community College will have to wait until Oct. 3 to receive their first paychecks, two weeks later than previous years. Classes at the college's eight locations officially began on Aug. 16, meaning adjuncts will have to wait a total of seven weeks to be paid.

"Would you be able to work 7 weeks without a check?" the reader, who declined to be named, wrote in an email.

Ronald Rodriguez, Delgado's vice chancellor of business, confirmed that the new pay schedule was correct. He said the two-week delay is due to new data requirements and related information needed to comply with the Affordable Care Act.

"Unfortunately, these new requirements have made it necessary for the College to issue the first payment two weeks later than in previous years," Rodriguez wrote in an email.

Some adjuncts at Delgado also work at others schools within the Louisiana Community and Technical College System, which may enable them to qualify for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act. But low enrollment can cause some classes to be canceled or merged with others within the first few weeks of the semester.

To ensure the information it submits about adjunct instructors is accurate, Rodriguez said, Delgado has had to wait until all classes are finalized. He added that other institutions outside the LCTCS with similar payroll practices have had to delay the payment of adjuncts by a week or more to meet the new Affordable Care Act standards.

Rodriguez noted that the Delgado administration apologizes for the delay, but that it plans to resume the previous adjunct pay schedule for future semesters.